ken turns EIGHT!

the birthday girl woke up to a room filled with balloons and streamers! she was a happy kid! :) ken opened her first present . . . the usual! a birthday outfit and a book! :) she loved the outfit . . . and i messed up on the book. she had already read it. oops! :) then it was downstairs . . . where she got to see all of her gifts wrapped up . . . but only got one! HER BIKE! :) she fell in love with this bike when she first saw it and talked about it for weeks . . . so it was really cool to surprise her with it! she took a few laps around inside the house! :) we sang happy birthday and she got her favorite breakfast . . . kolaches and donuts . . . thanks to an early morning donut run by daddy! :) sadly, it was a school day, but the second she got home ken was riding her bike! :) she looked pretty cute on it too! :) when daddy got home we did presents. she got a new sleeping bag (because she hated the slipperiness of all the ones we had!), an orbeez lamp, some clothes, and a craft kit! then it was off to mama fu's for dinner (yay! she didn't choose mc d's!)! :) when i tucked ken in at night she told me this had been "the best birthday ever!". wow.

first gs campout

the girls and i had our first girl scout campout this weekend! we drove out to belton and stayed at the girl scout camp there. what a cool place for a kid! :) there were lots of things to explore and sooooo much to do! we didn't have enough time! we stayed in a great rustic "lodge" with lots of bunks and a kitchen! we cooked a great hot dog dinner, went to do crafts with the rest of the troops, made s'mores over a coal flame, hiked to the bathroom A LOT, and enjoyed all the fresh air! a cold front blew in over night, which meant cold and rain in the morning . . . making for a perfect campout! :) we all got soaked on our way to breakfast, but then things cleared up and we were able to enjoy the morning's activities . . . making a journal, learning to use a compass, making longhorns, and munching away on our trail mix! we made a great lunch of pb&j and then packed up to head home. we were all tired, but had a great time being in the outdoors! :) we might even brave two nights next year! :)

planting seeds

the girls had a great time decorating their pots, "growing" dirt, and planting seeds! now it's a face to see whose will pop up first! we're growing forget-me-nots, strawberries, and wildflowers!

world thinking day!

yay! our first big girl scout event . . . world thinking day! :) our troop learned about germany and had a great time designing our poster and making our "swaps" for the day! when the girls arrived they each got a passport and walked around visiting all of the other "countries" to try food, learn a few things, and of course collect a swap! what a fun afternoon! :) seeing how excited they were made it all worth the work! :)

ken's birthday fun with a friend!

ken is turning eight. (so hard to believe!) this year we opted for having a birthday treat with a friend for each of the kiddos . . . it was such a hit last year! :) ken asked to have her bestest friend g over to spend the night! the girls had a great time just being silly! they watched a movie and stayed up late . . . and included the little girls in all the fun! :) in the morning they had donuts and did crafts and then it was off to build-a-bear! ken picked a cool rocker bear that she can plug her mp3 into! :) way cool! the girls picked outfits for their bears and got them all registered! then we hit the food court for some lunch and dessert! :) ken couldn't wait to get home to show off her newest build-a-bear! :) the countdown is on to the big birthday day! :)

sweet aunt sarah

what lucky kiddos. . . aunt sarah stuck a "happy day" present in the mail for the girls! candy, purses and coloring books! the girls were on cloud nine! :) thanks aunt s! we love you so much! :)

valentine's day 2011

happy heart day! :) the kids had a yummy heart donut breakfast, donut balloons, books, and candy . . . and that was just the start! :) the girls had a mommy lunch at school which i got to attend without the little kids (thanks ms. j.! we love you!). and then our afternoon was filled with more goodies. . . little heart baskets filled with way too much stuff . . . and a YUMMY dinner at mama fu's (yes, our kids were up for trying something new!) wow . . . our hearts have four little reasons to be sooooo happy! :)

valentines on our own

wow . . . what a difference this year. my two big girls took their valentines and headed to their room to do their valentines all by themselves . . . they didn't want any help, guidance, direction. uh. so sad! ken took a lot of time trying to write hers nice and neat . . . making sure each one was assembled the right way . . . complete with a silly band! mck had little disney card games to give out and wrote her name on each one complete with a good "girl or boy picture" to go along with it! :) her little pen drawings were adorable! :) hard to imagine in just a few years they will all be doing everything on their own. . .

donuts with daddy!

kam was SO excited this morning to have daddy bring her to school for "donuts with daddy" and to walk her to her classroom! what a treat! :) she ate two donuts (but wasn't supposed to tell me!) :) her teachers said she was just giddy all day because she had gotten to show off her dad! so sweet! :)

SNOW DAY!

a beautiful thing to wake up to . . . and inch of white fluffy stuff covering everything! we were so excited to get out and play! we had several snow ball fights, made piles of snow, ate the snow, and thanks to our neighbors even got to "sled"! the kids loved it! b.c. was even saying "snow" by the end of the day! we got chilly and came inside to dry everything, have some hot chocolate and cookies, and then head out again . . . by 10 in the morning the kids had had their fill of snow play! :)

homeade choo choo!

kam and b.c. create a train in the kitchen at least once a day! they drag all the chairs over themselves and line them all up then take turns getting into each seat! if you try to play with them b.c. is very insistent on where you can or cannot sit and wants everyone to make train sounds! :) omg . . . it is too funny!

playing a the lake!

what a fun afternoon! we took our bikes to the park/lake that is literally 5 minutes away and biked around the lake and then let the kids play by the water! ken is great on her bike and can really keep up . . . mck is finally training wheel free and does great . . . but is a little big for the bike she has so she has to pedal pretty fast to try to keep up! the little kids get to ride in the bike trailer which they think is sooooo cool! :) with 80 degree weather a bike ride, snacks, and some time by the water was so much fun! b.c. and kam spent their time trying to get as close to the water as possible before having someone tell them to get back (both ended up with soaking shoes!)! :) ken learned how to skip a rock from daddy . . . she thought that was pretty fun and actually did rather well for her first time! and mck was doing all sorts of things . . . throwing rocks, dancing, talking to everyone . . . being her silly self! :) can't wait for more adventures like these! :)

jump day!

i forgot how fun a jump day can be . . . especially without a baby to carry around! :) b.c. and kam had so much fun at the hoppin hippo! b.c. was anxious to try almost everything trying to keep up with the big kids . . . and the fact that you can wear dress up and run around is too perfect for miss kam!

it's girl scout cookie time!

pretty cute, huh? :) the girls are loving girl scouts this year . . . can't believe i am already breaking my rule of one after school activity . . . but they are really enjoying it! it is so "their thing" . . . crafts, outdoor time, games, and friends! :) could it be a more perfect match! and now they are excited to sell cookies! :) they would have gone out the night we picked up the cookies if i let them! :) too cute! they have a whole little "speech" to give too! :) how can anyone resist? now we just need to sell the 100 boxes of cookies to get them out of the house! :)

my nerdy girl!

these are the books ken came home from the library with today . . . "comfort foods" and "the alamo". hmmmm. not only did she choose these books she grabbed them out of her bag when she got home and couldn't wait to show me! :) she had already looked through the recipe book and found lots of stuff she thought we should make . . . and was extremely excited to get into the alamo book because there was stuff about "david crockett" in there and she learned about him in school. too funny! gotta love my little nerdy girl! :)

i'm 18 months old today!

oh my . . . my little b.c. is 18 months old today! he has changed sooooo much just in the past few weeks! saying more, doing more, becoming more demanding, and more clear on all of his demands! he is hilarious and loves to do silly things to make us laugh! he is such a monkey . . . full of energy and mischief . . . crazy . . . but so hard not to love! :) he is such an amazing little guy!

b.c. loves trains, trucks, and BUZZ! :) he loves to cuddle . . . for a second . . . and loves to give hugs and kisses . . . when he's in the right mood! he is a good eater . . . but becoming a little picky! he loves milk, cheese, nodddles, and bananas . . . a typical toddler! he is finally a good sleeper . . . but wakes as soon as he hears his sisters stirring in the morning!

the girls and i decided to make a really cool train cake for his half birthday . . . but as you can see, the train didn't work . . . so we baked a heart instead . . . and iced it in blue to make it more manly! :) the girls just love their little b! he has no problem playing ponies and barbies with them (yes, i know this will change!) and they in turn LOVE playing trucks and wrestling with him! :) can't imagine a second without him! :)

at his check-up b.c. weighed 23 pounds and was inches long. he is in the 15% for his weight and 50% for his height . . . his head is still hanging in there at around 90% (he's got a lot of brains!)! :) he did great is totally healthy! :) just an active little guy! :)

the goat that thinks he's a dog!

rocky now gets out of his pen EVERYDAY (peanut will usually stay put!). we swear he thinks he is a dog! he comes up to the porch and just looks in the window at us as though he expects to be let in . . . so we tried opening the door to invite him into the kitchen, but i think he was so shocked he just stood there! crazy goat! what is it with the baileys and crazy animals? :)

a choo choo ride! :)

the kids and i spent mlk day at the mall with friends for a ride on the train and the carousel. little b.c. is sooooo in love with trains these days! i got so excited about him riding on the train that i forgot to take any pictures except for when we first sat down! he was in awe and so happy the entire time . . . nothing like a boy and a train! :) the girls enjoyed the ride too . . . but they of course were too cool to ride with b.c. and me and chose a separate car! :) the carousel ride was a hit too . . . lots of excitement at getting to pick the animal you ride! :) and then of course the girls talked me into a little shopping at build-a-bear . . . doesn't everyone need a snuggie for their bear? then it was lunch at chick-fil-a and a long walk back to the car! made for some worn out kiddos! :) love when i get to spend the day with all 4! :)

bringing in the new year!

just the 6 of us at home . . . but we made it a party! we played all day . . . toys, wii, movies . . . the kids had fun! we had a great dinner - make-your-own pizzas for the kids and crab legs for us! :) YUM! we threw confetti, had noise makers, watched a movie, played games, and just enjoyed hanging out . . . and then we celebrated at "midnight in new york" time and all hit the sack! :) the girls were ready to party all night . . . us, not so much! :) it was so much fun watching them with the confetti and running through the house making their own parade! ken and mck enjoyed decorating with extra streamers, b.c. just loved being crazy, and kam concentrated a lot on learning to blow the horns! :) so much fun! :)

this time new year had a little extra special meaning . . . we need a fresh start! :) 2011 will be a great year for the bailey family! :) we are hoping to make EXTRA happy memories this year to make up for some of the not so happy ones of the past! :) here's to a GREAT 2011

celebrating with family

the day after christmas we travelled to grammy and grampy's for a two day visit! the girls had a great time with cousin s and we all loved meeting baby a! what a beautiful, sweet baby! we opened presents and had an amazing christmas dinner (i think it tasted even better when grammy does ALL the work - thanks mom!). we opened presents . . . $5 stocking stuffers for the adults (a hit again this year!) and the kids were spoiled by lots of great goodies . . . lucky, lucky kiddos!
the next day we met for an amazing pizza dinner and got to see the dancing fountains right outside! what a treat! it was so nice to have such a great visit with our family!
it was our first time travelling with "the machine" . . . uh! the dialysis machine! despite lots of alarms in the night from the machine, we were able to travel relatively easily . . . it's like having a 5th child!
after lots of playtime, cooking hot dogs and marshmallows outside on the fire pit, and assembling and decorating a really cool gingerbread house we headed home. a perfect ending to the christmas holiday!